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Linfield lecture focuses on assault prevention

Nationally recognized psychologist Jon Davies will present a lecture in conjunction with Sexual Assault Awareness Month, “The Importance of Engaging Men in Preventing Sexual Assault,” Tuesday April 22, at 7 p.m. in 222 T.J. Day Hall at Linfield College.

Sexual assault is one symptom of a larger health crisis impacting the lives of men and particularly college men. Davies will describe this health crisis, along with the male socialization process and gender role expectations that increase men’s risk for sexual assault. He will discuss sexual assault prevention strategies to engage men that are congruent with the culture of masculinity, and talk about what can be done both individually and collectively to reduce sexual assault. Though most men are not perpetrators, 95 percent of the sexual assaults that occur in the United States are committed by men so it is crucial that sexual assault prevention efforts focus on men.

Davies specializes in men’s health and violence prevention and is the director of the McKenzie River Men’s Center, promoting men’s health and violence prevention in Lane County. He co-founded and served as advisor to the University of Oregon Men’s Center, where he worked as a psychologist for two decades. One of the first men’s centers in the nation, the UOMC was designed to help men lead healthy lives and reduce male-perpetrated violence against women. Based on their experiences, Davies and his colleagues co-founded the Men’s Center Approach to addressing the needs of college men. He has co-authored several articles including “The Men’s Center Approach to Addressing the Health Crisis of College Men” and “Engaging Men in Difficult Dialogues about Power.” He is a frequent presenter on men’s issues at local and national conferences and was recognized as Practitioner of the Year by the American Psychological Association’s Society of the Study of Men and Masculinity.

The lecture is sponsored by Student Health, Wellness and Counseling and the Consent Awareness Training Squad (C.A.T.S). For more information, contact Adria Godon-Bynum, 503-883-2806, agodonby@linfield.edu.